


Riptide.

by jasminecheyanne



Category: Captain America (Movies), Greek Mythology, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Action, Angst, Canon-Typical Violence, Cryofreeze (Marvel), Cryogenics, F/F, Fantasy, Greek Mythology - Freeform, Kidnapping, Romance, Somewhat Eventual Romance, There Are Happy Things Too, There Might Be Sex who the hell knows, Torture, War, fan fiction, somewhat slow burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-03
Updated: 2018-03-30
Packaged: 2018-12-23 07:17:37
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,061
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11984904
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jasminecheyanne/pseuds/jasminecheyanne
Summary: The Avengers are on a mission to infiltrate a HYDRA base inside the Ochi mountains on the Greek island, Euboea. It was a simple in, out, explode mission, but not everything went as planned. The team gets separated within and without the mountain, their comm's are fanning in and out, and Berger, the man they came to take into custody, was nowhere to be found.





	1. The One and Only Time Someone Got the Drop on Natasha Romanoff.

**Author's Note:**

> AO3 wouldn't let me post the entire summary, so here it is:  
> "The Avengers are on a mission to infiltrate a HYDRA base inside the Ochi mountains on the Greek island, Euboea. It was a simple in, out, explode mission, but not everything went as planned. The team gets separated within and without the mountain, their comm's are fanning in and out, and Berger, the man they came to take into custody, was nowhere to be found. Natasha finds herself standing at the edge of the mountain alone, emerald eyes sharp and searching for any sign of her team, or the German man, Mathis Berger. She hears the crunch of rubble under foot from behind, but feigns having heard anything. That is, until they got close enough to her to grab. When she whirls around, Berger is waiting for her. Hand-to-hand combat was Natasha's speciality, taking down men twice her size was her favourite pass-time. But there was something about him. He was quicker than most men his size, stronger, too. It was almost as if he had a little taste of the Super Soldier serum. His strength throws her off, and he gets the drop on her. With a slash to the face with a knife and a solid kick to the chest, Natasha is sent flying over the edge of the mountainside, hitting rocks on the way down. The last thing she remembers before the waves take her is her thinking "I don't want to die." When her eyes open, she finds a woman with dried seaweed and netting twined in her hair is leaning over her with a smile upon her face as radiant as the sun shining on crystal clear water."

_"Widow, Spider-Man; what's your status? Any sign of Berger?"_

The HYDRA base in the Ochi mountains of Greece were surprisingly well-lit, and there were next-to-no leaking cracks in the rocks surrounding the server room. The ones that were there were messily but effectively sealed shut with duct-tape or dry concrete a few shades lighter than the graphite itself. There were three large, cavernous entrances and exits, all bearing railroad tracks and mine trolley's abandoned in varying levels of disarray. While the cart's were abandoned, the people who had been manning them were still there.

"A little busy here, Rogers!" Natasha Romanoff huffed into the comm mic around her wrist as she wrapped her thighs around the nearest engineer's neck, holding fast as he struggled against her strength, only releasing her grip when he dropped like a stone. Panting, the Black Widow stepped over the unconscious man and pressed her back against Peter Parker's as three men and one woman surrounded them. 

"I got these guys - er, sorry, my bad. . .I got the lady and gentlemen; go do your thing, Nat." The teenager assured as he lightly bounced on the balls of his feet, curling and unfurling his fingers, ready to swing - pun intended - into action at her word. 

A smirk tugged at the red-head's lips as her green eyes studied the two men before her, searching for weaknesses she could use to her advantage. "Are you sure,  _маленький паук_? They look a little tough _._ " 

Peter snorted as he adjusted the mask over his face,  _"Please,_ I took away  _Captain America's_  shield like it was candy from a baby," At this, Steve Rogers made an indignant sound into the comm's as he shoved said shield into a HYDRA goon's face, while Wanda laughed under her breath. "I got this!" Peter continued on just as he whirled around and charged at the men beginning to close in on Natasha, catching everyone but the Widow by surprise.

As the young spider shot webs from his wrists, slamming two of the four HYDRA goons into the wall to stay stuck until they were ready to collect, the Black Widow ducked under the reaching arms of the remaining man and woman. Quickly righting herself, she kicked backwards, landing a solid hit to the back of the woman's knee, making her cry out in pain as something crunched, sending her to the uneven floor of the cave they were in. Before the man could retaliate, a red and blue blur swinging from the rafters reached down and plucked him from solid ground, wrapping him in web, and ignoring his petrified scream as he was thrown into a mine cart and pushed down the tracks at an alarming speed. The two spiders listened as he struggled, and only relaxed when there was a loud crash as the cart collided with a wall. A groan from the woman with a dislocated kneecap caught their attention, and as they looked down they found her aiming her pistol at Peter. With a quick kick to the temple from Natasha, the gun slipped from her hand and her head slammed down on the hard floor. 

"Damn," Peter whispered as he crouched down next to the unconscious woman. "She's, like, knocked out  _twice_ as much now."

Meanwhile, Bucky and Ant-Man were entering a laboratory in the east-wing of the Ochi mountains. The Sergeant clenched his jaw and repressed a shiver as he eyed all the eerily familiar equipment laying around. There wasn't a chair, but there were tools lying around in which would be used for his cybernetic arm, and there was a notebook lying open on a work bench and just for a moment he could've sworn it was red leather bound with a black star. But then he blinked, and he saw the notebook was actually white.

"Uh...Mr. Scary Soldier, sir? We have a situation." Came Scott Lang's nervous voice from the other side of the room. Huffing a laugh, Bucky Barnes turned away from the work bench, tightening his flesh-and-blood grip on his handgun. His laugh died in his throat as he followed Scott's line of sight. On the other side of the east-wing were what looked to be two large incubators, with screens reading what seemed to be too-fast heartbeats. His blood ran cold as he forced his feet to move forward slowly, dreading what - or who - would be inside.

Barnes released a breath he hadn't known he'd been holding as his eyes fell to the frozen face of a young man, his expression contorted up from what Bucky could only assume was pain. Next to him in another incubator was a woman, her expression slightly pained, as well. They had startlingly similar features, but Bucky wouldn't say they were related. They had similarly sharp cheekbones, small noses that turned up a little at the tip, full lips and slightly pointed ears. He leaned forward toward the freezing glass to try and see more clearly, and - yes, just underneath their long hair, he was positive. They both had gills on the sides of their slim necks.

Lips forming into a grim line, Bucky brought his metal hand up to his ear and spoke into the mic around its wrist. "No sign of Berger yet, but, Steve. . .Ant-Man and I found a couple. . .civilian's in incubator's. They're frozen. Like I was. They look like they're in pain; we have to get 'em out." The comm in his ear responds with static, and he knew Steve was speaking, he just couldn't understand anything he was saying. "Steve, do you copy?" Sergeant Barnes asked urgently, only receiving more static in return. 

"Well, this isn't good." Scott commented, his tone of voice the epitome of  _"uh-oh"_ , as Bucky tried the rest of the team, to no avail. And just as the last syllable rolled off Scott's tongue, there was a sudden crash and then the roar of a dozen footsteps from the left-hand tunnel. Bucky cursed viciously under his breath as he moved closer to his partner, eyes locked on the cavern as the footsteps drew nearer. "This is  _really_ not good!" The Ant-Man shouted and brought his fists up defensively as the armed HYDRA agents rushed into the room.

Not only had HYDRA ambushed the east-wing, but the server room, west-wing, and the roof as well. Between hilariously degrading curses aimed at HYDRA, Clint urgently asked anyone who could hear him if anyone had eyes on Natasha. He was the only one who could hear; the enemy had somehow managed to snuff out any and all communication between the Avengers. Each team was on their own in this, and Clint could only hope they wouldn't get separated from each other.

Natasha ran down the right-hand tunnel as fast as she could, away from the six agents trailing her; the other six having cut her off from Peter. She knew the kid was strong, but he was also  _just_ a kid _._  There would only be so much he could handle before he became too weak. There would only be so much time before he lost. She didn't know how, but she knew she had to find him, make sure he didn't get himself killed. He was, after all, her little spider.

As the red-head spotted a ladder heading up, up and up some more, a plan began forming in her mind, and she couldn't help but smirk. The men racing behind her suddenly skidded to a halt as she stopped dead in her tracks ahead, her back still facing them. Natasha stayed perfectly still, not even her breathing jostling her stance, as the agents exchanged uneasy looks between them. One goon shrugged his shoulders and began his descent upon her, mistaking her turned back for a moment of weakness.

The moment he was close enough, the Black Widow dropped into a crouch, gripped the end of the coiled wire in her suit, and spun around, the back of her ankle slamming into the side of his, sending him crashing to the ground. The weight of him kicked up dust but Natasha ignored it tickling her nose as she quickly and skillfully wrapped and tied the wire tightly around one of his ankles above his boot. She then kicked the handgun out of his hand and away from him, breaking a few fingers in the process, just as two more guards came at her from both sides.

"Well, well," A shit-eating grin tugged at her plump lips, a seductive purr in her tone of voice, "Isn't this a nice surprise?" 

The agent to her right lunged at her with a black baton raised over his head. Natasha nearly laughed out loud as she easily smacked it out of his hand. As quick as a viper, she gripped his wrist and wrapped the wire around it, so tight she knew it was going to cut off his circulation. It was such easy work taking the six of them out, she was almost disappointed. They all lay groaning on the floor, trying to get out of the tightly knotted wire around them without success. As soon as the sixth and final agent was connected to the line, Natasha dropped the coil to the ground. 

"I would say it's been fun, but, well. . .it really hasn't been. I'll tell ya what is, though.  _This,_ " Taking a Widows Bite off the cuff of her sleeve, she held it up for them to see before smiling widely and dropping the small, circular disk onto the remaining bit of wire. All six bodies seized on the ground as electricity surged through the wire and into their bodies. As they groaned in pain, unable to move, Natasha threw herself up the ladder and to the closed hatch at the top.

Taking a gun from the holster on her hip, she curled her finger around the trigger as she shoved the hatch open, ready to put a bullet between the eyes of the enemy if she had to, only to find no one there. Hesitantly, she hauled herself out, slammed the hatch shut, and protected her head as she rolled away from the hatch. The last thing she needed was to get thrown back should it swing open again. Her weapon remained at the ready in case there were more agents ready to ambush her. As her sharp emerald eyes flitted all around the nooks and cranny's of the topmost level of the mountain, a warm breeze tussled her curly locks away from her face. Natasha took a deep breath and tried to discern whether if what she was smelling was strange cologne, or some exotic flower growing by the water below.

Cautiously she stood straight and feasted her eyes upon the view before her. The ocean nearly surrounding the mountain was vast, deep, and crystal clear in the more shallow ends near the shore. As she caught her breath, she brought her hand up to the comm still lodged in her ear, tapped it, and tried speaking into the microphone at her wrist. "Captain, do you copy? Sarge? Spider-Man? Hawkeye? Can  _anyone_ hear me?" She swore under her breath as she received no response from her team, static crackling as the sign for no connection. Her green eyes scanned the beach beyond her for any sign of the rest of the Avengers, or Berger himself, but found nothing but sand, trees, and sparkling water.

Just as she was about to turn and head back down the tunnel of doom, there was a soft crunch of rubble under foot from behind her. She feigns her taking a deep breath as being relaxed, rather than her centring herself for a fight. As the soft, nearly undetectable footsteps neared her, she continued to fake unawareness of his or her presence, her eyes locked on the horizon over translucent water. Natasha could agree that it was a beautiful sight, but she hadn't come for the scenery. The flash drive full of HYDRA secrets in her pocket was proof of that.

How long he'd been behind her, she didn't know. She would have heard the hatch swing open, its hinges needing oil something fierce. It was almost as though he had vanished into the rocks on the peak of the mountain, like a chameleon. Or he'd been clinging to the face of the mountain, awaiting her arrival. She hadn't even heard him breathing, and her hearing was nothing to sneeze at, even if it wasn't as good as a Super Soldier's.

As soon as he was about three feet away, the Black Widow whirled on him, causing him to freeze mid-step.

A smile twitched at Natasha's lips as she thought to herself,  _Lucky me_ , "Mathis Berger. And to what do I owe this pleasure?" Slowly they began circling each other, Nat placing her gun back into its holster, while Berger's weapons were in the belt around his hips, his hands curled into fists at his sides. He was a tall man; about six foot four. His hair was ashy blond, eyes such a light blue they were almost see-through. His nose was thin but defined, cheekbones sharp as his cheeks were slightly sunken in. His lips thin, mouth set in an almost-permanent frown, cupid's bow deep and pronounced. Despite his clear exhaustion in his thin face, his body looked rather strong. Broad shoulders, thick arms and legs. Natasha knew just by looking at him that he'd pack quite the punch, but she wasn't too worried, because she could, too.

"No, no,  _herrlich_ , ze pleazure iz all  _mine_." Berger replied, his German accent thick and his thin lips spreading into a lecherous grin, his eyes trailing her body from head to toe before returning to her eyes. Natasha pursed her lips through her smile, her eyebrow twitching in disgust at his  _"endearment"_.

He attacked first.

Berger swung a large fist toward Natasha's face, and she was caught off guard at his speed. She just barely managed to block him, slamming her forearm into his fist, deflecting it from her face as she skillfully slipped a Widows Bite from her sleeve and in between her fingers of her gloved hand before driving her fist into his gut, the electricity rippling in her hand and into his body. Mathis merely huffed and swatted her hand away, as if she had simply tickled him.

The Black Widow didn't let it show on her face, but she was increasingly becoming more worried as he took hit after hit of hers, and barely reacted at all. His speed and agility reminded her of James; how his weight didn't effect the way he moved, but it was a sure good indicator on how hard he could hit. The bruises on her body and the blood trickling from cuts on her face told her he must have had a taste of the Super Soldier serum, or something similar. He was far too strong to be an ordinary man. She was just glad he didn't seem to have a cybernetic limb like James did, too. She only had the patience to deal with one metal-armed-choke-hold at a time, thank you.

Silver flashed in the corner of her eye and she sucked in a quiet gasp as she darted backward to avoid the throwing knife he brandished from his belt. Mathis was grinning in his brutality as he slashed the small knife back and forth mere inches from her nose, twirling it on his forefinger as he changed its direction. Natasha knew he was purposefully backing her up to the edge of the mountain, but she hoped she would be able to get the drop on him before he sent her overboard.

As the heel of her left foot slid over the edge, her right was planted firmly, her back arched as she continued to dodge his attacks. She could hear pebbles breaking off from under her foot and tumble over the side, and she knew that even though she couldn't hear them falling anymore, it didn't mean they had hit the bottom. Mathis Berger gripped her by the shoulders, but before he could push her, Natasha latched onto his arms, swinging herself up into the air and onto his shoulders.

Another wire from her sleeve came whistling out and she attempted to choke him with it, press her knees into his back and hold on while the wire slid into the skin of his neck and either made him lose consciousness, or slice off his head. He seemed to have other ideas. Deja vu struck her as he reached behind himself, gripped her by the arm and threw her body over him as if she weighed nothing. She couldn't stifle the groan that escaped her as he slammed her into the sharp rocks at his feet.

The red-head went to wrap her hand around one of his ankles, only to have him kick her hand away; bones snapped in her fingers and she yelled out in pain. She refused to give up. A few broken fingers was nothing to Natalia Romanova of the Red Room.

Natasha reached into her left sleeve and pulled out a teargas capsule, clamping her gloved hand over her nose and mouth, squeezing her eyes shut tightly as she reached up and crushed it right in front of his face. The German soldier screamed out in pain as his eyes began to burn, but as he gasped out for breath, his lungs protested. Black Widow rolled away from the edge and drove three electricity-charged punches into his gut in quick succession. Berger stumbled backwards as he wiped desperately at his eyes, stumbled again until he fell to one knee.

She placed her left foot on his left knee and lifted herself off of the ground. Before she could wrap her left leg around his head, he surprised her by catching it in a strong, steady fist. It all happened in the span of a few seconds, but Natasha couldn't believe her ears. Berger started to chuckle, his chuckles turning into loud, obnoxious laughter, as though the teargas had worn off already, and there was that flash of silver again. She didn't have time to dodge it this time around.

Sharp pain blossomed into her chest and up the side of her face as the knife slid through her leather uniform and into her skin. The cuts were deep and she began to bleed heavily immediately. Berger moved too fast, throwing her to the ground a second time like a rag-doll. Natasha hardly had time to curl in on herself before he was kicking her square in the chest with enough strength that it sent her flying over the edge of the mountain.

She felt her body crash into the rocks as she tumbled down the side, barely conscious as her skin was pierced over and over. She hadn't  even the strength to protect her head before it collided with something sharp.

And then the rocks disappeared and there was nothing but open air as she fell. The wind whipped past her and tangled up her ruby red hair, pushing it into her nose and mouth, its colour matching the shade of her blood as it oozed. Her momentum caused her to roll around and around in the air, and she pried open her eyes to stare at the ocean as it drew closer. She had just enough time to think  _I don't want to die_ before the waves swallowed her whole.


	2. Daughter of the Sea King.

_"I'm sure you all can imagine why I called you here today."_

At the bottom of the ocean, eleven thousand feet below the surface, sat a kingdom by the name of  _Atlantis_ , entirely built of marble, partially hidden by a large coral reef. The water around it caused the smooth stone to glitter and shine with every wave. Inside of the castle, the water did not reach, unless their king, Poseidon, wished it to. Despite the windows being without glass, the ocean passed by as though there were a physical barrier blocking it out.

Beyond the castle lay smaller homes, where the kingdom's people lived, their houses decorated with coral and seashells and seaweed. Despite popular belief among mortals, the folk that lived under the sea were not, in fact, mer-people. They didn't have tails like fish, but they did have gills. Gills that could disappear once on dry land.

Poseidon has lived his life trying to keep his people, his family, a secret from the humans. A half a century ago, the human race and his resided together in harmony. But as with most good things, it came to an end. And every few years it would happen again, but their technology wasn't good enough to find more than a blurry image. For nearly two decades, the searching for Poseidon's people came to an abrupt halt. During the past year, two of his guards were captured in the dead of night from right under the kingdom's nose, and no one has seen them since. They were either dead already, or still being experimented on.

The King of the Sea sat in his marble throne, his trident leaning next to his right hand. And on his left side, with her own, smaller trident to match her stature, was his daughter; Princess Cordelia. With straw blonde hair that looked like spun gold in the sunlight; with brown eyes as rich as the damp soil of the Earth; with skin as fair as porcelain; and lips as pink as the horizon as the sun set. She was Poseidon's  _λ?τός,_ his pride and joy, but she was also one of his most fearsome warriors. The people of  _Atlantis_ stood at their feet, waiting for their King to say more with bated breath.

 _"I didn't want to tell you all this so soon, for not to make you all frightened, but Cordelia has told me that you all deserve to know what has befallen two of our own, and I have come to agree with her."_ The throne room was silent and mournful.

Poseidon was a large man; arms, legs and torso corded with muscle, and tall with sandy blonde hair with slight touches of grey and blue eyes; neatly kept, braided beard as long as his torso; light wrinkles where they should have been deep and copious. 

 _"As you all know, two of my royal guard were captured earlier this year. Kara and Magnus. And I'm sure you all have speculated what happened to them. . .They have been captured by the human's. I suspect our enemy lives right above our very home; in the Ochi mountains."_  The throne room erupted with protests and sounds of disgust and disbelief. Poseidon only had to slam the butt of his trident on the stone floor once, and the room was hushed into silence once again.

Cordelia sat forward in her throne, her expression grim and determined. When she spoke, her voice washed over the room; as warm and as soft as a wool blanket. But do not mistake soft-spoken for weakness. Many have made that error time and time again.  _"Father and I know that these two guards will not be the last of our people taken, and it will not be long before the secret of Atlantis is revealed to the world again. The only way to stop this horror from happening another time is to fight. We must catch them off guard, because while they may have fought and won against two of the royal guard, they cannot hope to fight and win against two celestial beings." _The room chorused with loud cheers from their people for a few heartbeats, before Poseidon slammed his trident down again.

_"I have had birds watching the mountains day and night, and the time to strike is-"_

Cordelia's head snapped over to the window at the sensation of something, or  _someone_ , breaking through the calm surface of the ocean. For an instant everyone was frozen in place, as if they were the sculptures the human's created in the likeness of the Gods and Goddesses of Olympus. It was only an instant.

The Daughter of the Sea King was out of her throne, trident in hand, before her father could utter one word of an order for the common folk to return to their homes immediately. As Cordelia slipped through the nearest window, an air bubble formed around her head, and with a flex and push of her legs, she manipulated the water to propel her forward, as fast as a speeding bullet. And as the water began to darken in the towering loom of the Ochi mountains, Cordelia catches the sight of something red in her peripheral vision.

There, sinking slowly, was a woman with shoulder-length red hair, and it didn't take a genius to know she wasn't having a leisure swim, judging by the blood turning the ocean red. Before she could swim out and rescue her, a hand clamped down on her arm,  _"No, Cordelia! It could be a trap!"_ Her father warned as the remainder of the royal guard swam up behind him. Cordelia shook her head fiercely as she wrenched her arm out of his grasp,  _"Whether she is friend or foe, we must help her!"_

Before the King could speak, Cordelia shot off toward the drowning woman, her trident locked in between her teeth. And as the Princess swam up to shore, Poseidon and his guard watched intently from the depths of the sea.

The blonde carried the unconscious woman to a dry patch of sand at the shore, and as she blew out strongly from her mouth, both her and the red-head dried completely in seconds. Gently Cordelia set the woman down on her back and knelt at her side. Ever-so-softly, the sea Princess brushed away the short red curls in the stranger's face. Her breath caught in her throat as she feasted her eyes upon her face for the first time.

Her hair was as red as rubies; her eyelashes as long and as wispy as a birds feathers as it took flight; her skin fair but with a rose undertone to it that made her seem innocent, though by her outfit and copious amount of weapons on her body, Cordelia knew she was anything but; and with lips as plump and vibrant as the first ripe strawberry of the season.

 _What is that catchphrase that the humans always say these days?_ Cordelia wondered, biting her lip as she fought back a smile.  _Ah, yes. I am so gay._

A twig snapped not six feet from where Cordelia and the injured woman sat by the shore. The blonde snatched up her trident and threw herself over the human's body to protect her, her three-pronged javelin held out in defence. Standing at the edge of the forest on the right of the beach, was a man in red, white and blue with a round shield on his back; on his left a woman with brown hair and a red leather outfit; and on his right a boy (or a flat-chested girl) in a red, black and blue full-bodysuit with a spider on its web on his chest. They all had their hands raised, though the woman looked more as if she were preparing for a fight. Cordelia tightened her grip on her trident.

"Whoa there, it's okay. We're not going to hurt you." The man said to Cordelia, his voice deep and calm, before he turned to the woman at his side, "Wanda, stand down. I think she's protecting her."

Cordelia watched as the woman,  _Wanda_ _,_ slowly lowered her hands to her sides and stood up straight. The man spoke again, his hands still in the air, "My name is Captain Steve Rogers, and this is Wanda Maximoff and Spider-Man. That woman you're protecting is a part of our team; the Avengers. She's also one of my very dearest friends."

The Princess slowly lowered her trident, but refrained on it letting go. Licking her lips, she tried the word out for herself, her accent heavy around the English word, "Avengers. . ." During her rare trips to the human world, Cordelia has heard that word be thrown around every now and then, but had no clue what, or who, it was. Until now.

Steve nodded his head and carefully reached up to take off his cowl so she could see his entire face. He was smiling gently, "Yes. My team and I, we got separated. Is. . .Do you know what happened to her? Natasha?" He asked, his wide blue eyes earnest and concerned as they flicked back and forth between Cordelia and the red-headed woman. The boy covered head-to-toe stepped forward, his voice cracking with guilt as he spoke, "Is. . .Is she hurt?"

At the absolute anguish in the clearly young man's voice, Cordelia felt her cold hostility melt into her love for children. Looking down at the woman she rescued, now known as  _Natasha,_ and scanned her eyes over her limp body for wounds. A knife wound on her chest, broken fingers, bruising and smaller cuts decorating her body; and if she looked close enough, she could see shards of rock in each cut. Craning her neck back and squinting her eyes in the harsh sunlight as she ran her eyes over the side of the mountain looming over the ocean. Her eyes zeroed in on blood smeared in several places on the rocks. It looked fresh.

"Yes, your friend is hurt, but I can heal her. I believe she fell into my father's ocean from the top of the mountain. I pulled her out." The Captain's face paled as he craned his neck to see the mountain fully, and as he brought a hand to his right ear, he let out a shaky breath before standing off to the side, speaking into thin air as he regaled what Cordelia had just told him.  _How strange,_ the Princess thought,  _Do some humans' have special abilities, as my people do_ _?_

Cordelia turned back to Natasha and with a feather light touch, ran her fingertips over her cheek and along her jaw. She has seen many beautiful men and women in  _Atlantis_ , ones that her father had tried to arrange a marriage with. But she has never seen someone as beautiful as Natasha. Perhaps it is a human thing, this type of beauty.

From the corner of her eye, Cordelia could see Spider-Boy - er,  _Spider-Man -_ kneel at her side, large masked eyes locked on Natasha. "You said you can heal her? How?" He wondered, and Cordelia just smiled at him.

Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes and hovered her hands over Natasha's body. She could hear the woman's blood flowing in her veins, and if she concentrated on just one spot, she could hear how different the flow sounded around her broken fingers, bruised flesh and open wounds. She could sense the water in her lungs, how it was cutting off oxygen to her brain. Frowning, she opened her eyes.

Cordelia could sense more presences, but ignored them as she touched the center of Natasha's chest with the tips of her three middle fingers, and dragged them upward, from her ribs up to her throat. As if 'Delia had tilted her head back, Natasha's chin lifted to the sky, her mouth falling open on its own accord just as ocean water seeped out from between her lips to twirl around Cordelia's fingers like a flame dancing with wood in the night.

 _"Whoa. . ."_  Spider-Man whispered from behind his mask as Natasha coughed and gasped for fresh air, but remained unconscious from the pain of her wounds. The Princess formed the water into a sphere and hovered it over the palm of her hand. With her left, she folded her last three fingers down into her palm while left her thumb and index finger began pinching at the air above the orb and pulling backwards gently. The Avengers watched in awe and disbelief as Cordelia purified the water like it was magic. With a flick of her left hand, she sent the salt from the water back into the sea, and it bounced off the surface as if she were skipping stones.

Encasing her right hand with the clean water, Cordelia breathed in deeply and placed her hand gently over the long knife wound on Natasha's chest. And with her exhale, the wound began to close, leaving not even the faintest scar behind. As she moved to heal the red-head's broken fingers, someone collapsed onto their knees in front of her and took Natasha's left hand in theirs,  _"God, 'Tasha. . ."_

"Your friend will be fine, I promise you that." 'Delia assured the man when she looked up from the deformed fingers, smiling gently. As she looked around her, she found six more people standing a respectful distance away from her as she healed their friend. Her eyes lingered a bit longer on the man wearing what seemed to be a suit made of red and gold armour.  _Human's are ridiculous. . ._

Shaking her head in mild disbelief, she turned back to the red-head's mangled hand. Now, she couldn't heal broken bones with just water alone. . .she had to use their blood, too. Cordelia didn't like doing this; manipulating other people's bodies against their own will or without their knowledge, even if it was to help them. Only once has she had to use her blood bending for war, and she swore she'd never use her ability for evil things ever again.

The instant Cordelia set the three fingers back in place all at once with a resounding  _snap!_ , Natasha gasped awake and rolled onto her side, closer to Cordelia as she coughed up the remaining droplets of water from her lungs.

The Black Widow was quick to get her bearings though, and as soon as she caught her breath, she drove her injured hand up to wrap around a throat, but it was caught with lightning speed in a firm, yet gentle grasp. Natasha forced her eyes open despite the harsh sunlight turning her eyelids a vibrant orange.

Leaning over her was a woman. A breathtaking woman with a beaming smile and what looked to be seaweed and netting twined into the braids of her hair. Her eyes were a dark, almost russet brown, surrounded by long, wispy eyelashes that Natasha wasn't entirely sure weren't covered in mascara. Eyes trailing down to the hand gripping her wrist, she found it was small and looked delicate, but judging by the calluses Nat could feel against her skin, those petite hands had seen a fight or two. It was only then she felt the weight in her left hand, and she didn't even have to look over to know it was Clint.

Gathering her wits about her, Natasha quirked an eyebrow as the corner of her mouthed tilted up into a seductive smirk, "I hope you didn't kiss me awake; I haven't had the chance to buy you dinner first." Her voice was rough from the salt water lodged in her lungs, but her words were clear and she found immense satisfaction watching the ethereal beauty blush a soft rose and look down bashfully where their skin touched. Natasha inwardly frowned as the blushing blonde let go of her.

"Cap says she rescued you after you fell from the top of the mountain." Clint informed her, and she nodded her head minutely, not once taking her eyes off of her saviour. "Hey, who the hell are you, anyway?" He wondered, trying to hide his relief for his closest friends safety with his usual brashness. 

The woman in question straightened her back as she held her trident before her with pride, chest slightly pushed forward as she spoke, "I am Cordelia, daughter of Poseidon, King of the Sea."


	3. Seaweed Ain't Just for Eating.

Mathis Berger lie flat on his stomach by the edge of the cliff, rocks digging into his hip where his shirt had rode up. He held a small pair of binoculars up to his eyes as he watched the people at the shore converse. The Black Widow had survived her fall and was now surrounded by her friends; the Captain, the Sergeant, the Witch. . .the others. Berger couldn't care less about the  _Avengers,_ but the woman who rose up from the sea, on the other hand. . .

Upon closer inspection, he saw the gilded gold trident in her hand as she rose to her feet. Engraved at the base of the prong in the centre, was a crest of rippling waves that he had seen once before. . .on the weapons of the creatures' he took from their underwater post. A smile full of villainous greed spread across his face as he pushed himself up, dusted the gravel from his person, and turned on his heel from whence he came to be on top of the Ochi mountain.

* *

Natasha placed her uninjured hand in Cordelia's outstretched one and allowed herself to be lifted from the ground, all the while hiding her surprise at the Princess's unwavering strength as she took on her weight. 'Delia smiled and gave the red-head's hand a squeeze before letting go. The Black Widow blinked down at her formerly-broken hand in surprise. Not only were her wounds healed, but she barely felt any pain after the fact like she usually did for days, sometimes weeks. The daughter of the sea king was strong, sure, but that wasn't all there was to her, was it?

"So. . ." Came a tinny voice, causing everyone's eyes to fall to the man bearing red and gold metal armour just as the face of his helmet rose to reveal his face. "Why do you have seaweed in your hair? I really hope it's not a snack for later, because you're gonna have hair all up in it. Now unless that's considered a delicacy from down-under -  _literally_ \- I'm gonna have to suggest some pockets. A trendy little waterproof handbag, maybe?"

His fellow Avengers waited for the blonde woman's reaction with bated breath as Tony talked at her, all thinking the same thing:  _People like Tony have been smote for less._

Instead of calling upon the powers of the sea to drown Stark, a small smirk appeared on her face. "Without the seaweed, my whole ensemble would surely fall apart. I hardly expect a human whom dons such gaudy armour to understand true fashion."

"I'll have you know that I am the epitome of a fashionista,  _Ariel."_  Tony squawks indignantly while the rest of the team attempts to stifle laughter.

"You healed broken bones with nothing but a kiss?" Natasha suddenly speaks up, drawing everyone's attention back to why they were there in the first place. "Makes a girl wonder what sex would accomplish."

A wolfish grin came across 'Delia's face. "Great things, πανεμορφη." 

Rolling his eyes at their flirting, Sam speaks up. "So, wait, I wasn't the only one who caught the word  _Poseidon,_ right? Are we talkin' about the real fuckin'  _Greek God_  here, or does your Sugar Daddy have an inflated ego?"

Momentarily distracted from the radiant ginger, Cordelia turns to Sam with furrowed eyebrows, her head slightly tilted to the side in bafflement. "Well, we  _are_ Greek, and we  _are_ Gods, and he is very real, so. . .yes? Also, what is this. . . _Sugar Father_ you speak of?"

Clint snorts and covers his mouth to stop himself from laughing out loud while Sam runs his hands over his hair, muttering to himself,  _"First Norwegian Gods, and now there are Greek Gods? What next? Roman deities? Egyptian? How about I find a nice patch of grass to lay down on and go to sleep and pretend none of this shit is actually happening?"_

Suddenly, the gentle sound of a birds flapping wings catches Cordelia's attention, and a pipit chirping urgently lands on her finger the moment she holds her hand out. "Hello, λίγο άνθρ?πος, what is troubling you?"

In a series of chirps and squawks, he tells her,  _The man who pushed her off the cliff, he is coming, Princess._

'Delia's serene expression grows grim as the pipit flutters away. She grips the staff of her trident tightly and allows her eyes to stare deep into the forest, slowly turning her head left and right, until she locks on something just before the shore. Nearly too fast for the Avengers to catch, Cordelia twists her upper body to the right, before unwinding and sending her trident hurtling through the trees. Bucky's hair whips around his face, the weapon flying past him mere inches from his ear.

The blonde woman pays no mind to the weapons halfheartedly drawn and aimed toward her, and strides into the forest, following the resounding  _thwang!_ her trident made as it embedded itself into a tree. Brushing away overhanging leaves, a large man stood pinned by the throat to the tree trunk behind him, two prongs on either side of his neck. Every time he moved, the blades cut his skin, turning the gold into copper.

"You know nothing of how to treat a woman, sir." Princess Cordelia sighs with a shake of her head, as if disappointed in him. "It is like that human song says:  _S_ _queeze her, don't tease her, never leave her. . .never throw her off of a mountain._ Little things really make the difference."

The man raises his arm, a strange looking gun in his hand, and goes to fire. Cordelia expertly takes a coil of seaweed from her hip, and flicks it out toward him, quick as a snake pouncing on its prey. Mathis Berger yells out in pain as the dart-gun is ripped from his hand, a bleeding a cut across his palm in its place. The Princess walks up to him, and uses her lasso made of seaweed to tightly tie his arms flat to his sides, fully pinning him to the tree.

A casual air exudes from Cordelia as she catches the weapon mid-air, studying it curiously. 

A twig snaps behind her and she whirls around, stun-gun raised, only to find Natasha and the others looking upon her in disbelief. A beat passes before anyone speaks.

"Well," Natasha breathes, her lips twitching into a small smile, "I take back what I said about seaweed only being good for sushi."


End file.
